A new study from Ohio State University, US, suggests that sociability, especially later in life, may bring many mental and physical health benefits — it can protect against cognitive decline.

For their research, the scientists included mice aged 15–18 months. As a part of an experiment, they were divided into two groups. One group was housed in pairs modeling “an old couple”. The other mice were placed into groups containing 6 rodents. They were given the conditions modeling housing condition for 3 months.

Having analyzed the received results, the scientists concluded that mice that were living in a group were better in remembering new locations and new things.

The researchers insist that it is important for people to make decisions about choosing a place to live when they get older, as these choices could either facilitate social activities or prevent individuals from maintaining a rich social life.

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found why social isolation may lead to health issues and a shorter lifespan.

The scientists studied the effects of social isolation on fruit flies. They noticed that molecule markers of UPR (unfolded protein response) activation were at higher levels in flies that were kept separately in vials if compared to the flies of the same age kept in groups.

Senior author of the study Nirinjini Naidoo, Ph.D., explains: “When you keep animals isolated, it basically induces a disturbance of sleep, which then gives rise to a cellular stress that in turn triggers the UPR.”

Excessive use of social networking websites, such as Facebook, can affect wellbeing and overall satisfaction with life according to a new research, conducted by the team of scientists from the University of Copenhagen.

The research shows that some people can suffer from so-called “Facebook envy” when looking at photos of people demonstrating their lives on Facebook and thinking that they have happier lives.

The study included 1,095 participants. During the study, half of them were asked to stop using Facebook and another half, the control group, was asked to continue using it as they usually do it.

The results of the research showed that the subjects who did not use the social networking website for a week reported being more satisfied with life. They also rated their well-being higher if compared to the control group.

A new study of 12 million Facebook users finds that using Facebook associated with a longer life when Facebook is used for building on and keeping up with a real-world social network. The study was executed by a team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego, and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers say that nearly 12 percent are less likely to die within a given year compared to people who do not use social media. They suggest that this could have to do with social or economic differences in the user and non-user groups.

A study author James Folwer says: “We can’t say using Facebook is good for you, but I think the study provides evidence that it’s probably not bad for you.”

According to the data collected by The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, patients with a strong social network including family and friends spend less time in a hospital.

This study provides an example that hospitals must pay equal attention to both physical rehabilitation and psychological recovery.

Zakkoyya Lewis, a doctoral student in UTMD’s department of rehabilitation sciences and the lead author of the study, says: “When someone does not have the social support of family and friends, they take longer to return home to the community. We believe that support from loved ones may lead to better recovery and better quality of life. Our study is one of the first to look at how the level of social support impacts how long patients need to spend in a rehab facility.”